'Go back to Univision,' Trump said. Jorge Ramos refused.

In his new book, the anchor discusses taking stands

In August 2015, Jorge Ramos confronted Donald Trump at an Iowa press conference.

In August 2015, Jorge Ramos confronted Donald Trump at an Iowa...

Recently Fortune Magazine listed Mexican-American journalist Jorge Ramos as one of the "World’s 50 Greatest Leaders" — a list that also included people such as Pope Francis and German president Angela Merkel. Ramos, says Fortune, "might be the most influential journalist in the U.S."

To Latinos in the U.S., that comes as no surprise: In Spanish-speaking America, Ramos is everywhere. As an anchor on Univision, the largest Spanish-language network in the U.S., Ramos reaches an audience of more than 2 million viewers a day; he's frequently described as "the Walter Cronkite of Latin America."

He hosts a Sunday morning public-affairs show, "Al Punto" ("To the Point"); as well as "America with Jorge Ramos," a weekly news magazine on the Univision affiliate English-language affiliate, Fusion. He's won numerous Emmy Awards. He writes opinion column syndicated by the New York Times. And he's published a dozen books.

But he also does more than simply describe the news. He's also that rare thing, a national-level leader for Latinos in the U.S. Fortune describes him as "part journalist, part advocate, a newsman who hammers candidates on immigration policy even as he urges Hispanic Americans to register to vote.”

Ramos insisted: "Mr. Trump, you cannot deport 11 million people. You cannot build a 1,900-mile wall. You cannot deny citizenship to children in this country."

Finally, Trump signaled a bodyguard to remove Ramos from the room. It was the Trump candidacy's first violent clash with a journalist. But it would hardly be the last.

RAMOS'S LATEST book, Take a Stand: Lessons from Rebels includes interviews he's done during his career to presidents and leaders of various social spheres. Recently, he spoke about it in Spanish with reporter Olivia Tallet. (Their interview has been translated and edited for clarity and length.)

Are you a journalist or an activist?

That is a valid question. The basic, fundamental work is to report the reality as it is and not as we would like to imagine it. But after covering the basics, our main social responsibility is to question those who are in power or who are seeking power. You cannot separate one from the other.

If we are reporting, and it is red, it must be said that it’s red, and if we see five, we must say that they are five. But the best real journalism is done when you question the powerful, when you're not with them.

What do you mean when you say that journalists must take a stand?

Did you see the movie Spotlight? The Boston Globe journalists took a stand against the Catholic Church and in favor of the victims of their sexual abuses. Journalists from the Washington Post, in the case of Watergate, took a position that led to the resignation of (President) Richard Nixon. I think that as a journalist, there are six situations in which we have to take a stand: when there are cases of racism, discrimination, corruption; and to confront public lies, dictatorships, or human-rights violations.

Perhaps people see you as an activist because you present questions as if you were defending a cause.

No, I'm not an activist. I am just a journalist, and completely independent. I am not in either the Democratic Party nor the Republican, and my credibility depends on that independence. I think I've been as hard with Democrats as with Republicans.

How did you feel when you were expelled from the Donald Trump press conference?

I never imagined that he would do something like that. Of course, I was surprised; I felt attacked and rejected. This is the first time in the 30 years of my career that I have been removed by force. The single other time that I was prevented from asking a question was by a Fidel Castro bodyguard in 1991. So of course, I felt attacked and rejected, but at the same time I felt that I was doing my job, that that was exactly what I needed to be doing.

What would you ask Trump now if you could?

Basically, why does he make discriminatory statements against Mexicans and Muslims? I do not know what is it that he thinks or what he has in his heart, but I do know what comes out of his mouth. And what comes out of his mouth about Mexicans and Muslims is wrong and is totally unacceptable in a democracy.

We have to recognize that we live in a country that is increasingly diverse, multiethnic, multicultural, multiracial, and that the only way that things can go well, without violence, is if we accept, and not reject, each other. That is the country in which we are living.

If Trump wins, we must be prepared for the biggest mass deportations in the history of the United States. That's what I think that will happen.

Many people see you as a leader, and one of the things that interests you is to promote the Latino vote. Do you think Hispanics have made political progress?

Of course! For the first time in history, we have had two candidates for the Presidency (Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio). We have a judge in the Supreme Court of Justice (Sonia Sotomayor). Ten years ago that would have been a dream. There is huge progress.

There will be 13 or 14 million Latinos, more than ever, coming out to vote in this election. In a close election, Latinos are going to choose the next president of the United States in a election.

We contribute more than one trillion dollars into the economy of the United States. The music that is heard, the food that is eaten here, is influenced by us. Without us, the country would be paralyze. So of course, we have made a lot of progress.